This invention relates to residential trash collection systems many of which are becoming automated. The automation can be described as the introduction of sophisticated equipment incorporated into newly designed trash collection trucks. Each truck is manned by a single individual in the drivers seat on the right hand side of the truck. In addition to driving the truck, this person operates the controls which empty the trash barrels placed at the curb in front of residences. The controls manipulate what best can be described as "grabber arms" which move out from the truck and close horizontally around the mid section of the body of the trash barrel. The mechanism then lifts the barrel high over the truck, rotates it 180 degrees so that the lid falls open and the trash falls into the truck. If any trash sticks in the barrel, the operator can shake the barrel vigorously. The emptying being complete at this point, the barrel is rotated to its initial position, placed back on the curb and released from the truck mechanism.
This new way speeds up trash collection and reduces costs for the city. This new way however mandates only one trash barrel per residence, replacing two or three with the previous system. Having only one means it must be much larger. For uniformity the city owns and distributes these 100 gallon range trash barrels.
These trash barrels are made of heavy durable plastic, generally round in shape with a flat bottom and sides which are divergent from bottom to top creating a large opening thus requiring a large lid, which is hinged at the back of the barrel.
Shortly after we received our trash barrel in 1995 I experienced the awkwardness of controlling the lid when emptying the trash. I had an idea which I thought might make it easier. I built a crude prototype leg operated lifter and lo and behold when I attached it to the trash barrel and pushed down on the lever I was pleasantly surprised at the way the lid popped all the way open with so little leg force. This first design was to be permanently attached to the trash barrel, but that concept was quickly abandoned because it became evident that no hardware mounted on the trash barrel during the emptying process would likely survive the vigorous mechanical handling. Also with the city now owning the trash barrel, permission to attach anything might be difficult to obtain.
After many refinements I settled on a specific design, which would embody a platform mounted self contained lever mechanism completely separate from the trash barrel. Working alone in my garage I have made twenty five of these and about half are in use by others who have learned about it by word of mouth. All have expressed satisfaction and none have been returned. With regard to the future I feel I'm a little too old to start a business so I will be searching for a manufacturer who can make the platform base and pylons with one injection mold and perhaps do the same for the lever assembly.
With regard to PRIOR ART; No prior art in connection with these plastic trash barrels is in evidence, however it may be that the automated trash collection system requiring the large trash barrels is relatively new or it may be that anyone interested may have deemed it unworkable in this case. All prior art of which I am familiar has designed the lid lifting mechanism to be integral with the receptacle, having parts permanently attached whereas the invention proposed here almost has to be an entirely separate piece of equipment due to the mechanical handling of the trash barrel during the emptying process.